" Symbol of Bad Character "

Category Archives: Corruption

Sharmila Farooqui, adviser to the Sindh chief minister, has disputed media reports alleging that the Supreme Court has admitted any petition against her. She has, however, acknowledged that a petition has been filed by Habibul Wahab Khairi, the chairman of Al-Jehad Trust.

“It has not been admitted by the apex court,” she told The Express Tribune over the phone on Friday.

The petitioner has, challenging Farooqi’s eligibility to become an adviser, requested the court order her removal from office as she was allegedly benefiting from perks and privileges illegally and in violation of the 18th Amendment under which a chief minister can appoint only five advisers. The petitioner has alleged that she cannot hold public office as she is a beneficiary of the National Reconciliation Ordinance, that allowed certain bureaucrats and politicians a pardon. The Supreme Court has struck it down.

This is the second time that a petition has been filed against Farooqi. Earlier, she was removed from the post of information adviser to the CM after Barrister Zameer Ghumro challenged the eligibility of advisers in view of the 18th Amendment.

Perks and privileges

An adviser draws a salary of Rs20,000, rent worth Rs22,000, an annual grant of Rs100,000 and free medical care for them and their families.

He or she is also entitled to travel first class and a yearly compensation of Rs300,000 in case of air travel. The adviser is provided Rs100,000 to furnish their residence.

Current status

After the appointment of 17 advisers was challenged in court their number was restricted to five in February last year. The CM removed 12 advisers including Farooqi. Later new posts were created in order to accommodate a few of them.

Rashid Rabbani, Waqar Mehdi, Siddique Abu Bhai who were serving as advisers, have been appointed as coordinators and special assistants. Rabbani was earlier an adviser on political affairs and is now working as a senior special assistant on political affairs. They are believed to be: Farooqi, Imamuddin Shoqeen (mines and minerals), Imtiaz Shaikh (special education), Syed Aijaz Ali Shah Sheerazi (rural development), Haleem Adil Sheikh (relief), Khawaja Izhar-ul Hassan (without a portfolio).

Siddique Abu Bhai has been appointed a coordinator and Waqar Mehdi a special assistant for the press and media. Meanwhile the number of special assistants has climbed to 15. They receive the same perks as advisers. Imtiaz Ahmed Mallah has been made special assistant for the complaint cell. Other special assistants include: Ismail Dahiri, Salman Abdullah Murad, Noor Jehan Baloch, Pehlaj Mal Nihlani, Ghulam Haider Rahu, Agha A Khan, Shamshad Qureshi, Anwar Lal Dinn, Pervaiz Ahmed Ansari, Muhammad Ameen, Khadim Hussain and Noor Hussain. However, no one knows what their departments or role are.

KARACHI – Four female candidates have been short-listed for the upcoming Senate elections, and one of them is Sharmila Farooqui who was banned for 20 years in 2000 from running for any office. Nevertheless, one of the four candidates would be finalised after an interview at the Sindh Chief Minister’s House on Tuesday (tomorrow). The interview would be conducted by Member National Assembly Faryal Talpur – President Asif Ali Zardari’s sister – and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah. Out of 37 applications received, the Sindh chapter of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has short-listed member of the provincial assembly Humera Alwani, Sadia Javed, Hina Dastagir and Sharmila Farooqui for the reserved seat for women on Sindh’s quota.
Farooqui, a strong candidate for the Senate seat, was removed as chief minister’s information adviser amid the Supreme Court’s pending decision regarding her plea bargain.

On April 12, 2000, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Court-IV in Karachi had convicted Farooqui and her parents in the Pakistan Steel Mills corruption case and barred them from taking part in any election or holding any public office for 20 years. The three had later approached the Sindh High Court against their conviction, following which the high court had referred their case for a retrial on technical grounds to the same NAB court. During the course of the retrial, Farooqui and her parents filed a plea bargain with the NAB court to avoid further conviction.

Their plea bargain was accepted by the then NAB chairman and later approved by the NAB Court-IV. According to the Constitution and opinion of legal experts, a person who receives a plea bargain is deemed to be convicted. On April 28, 2001, the NAB court declared in its judgement that Farooqui and her parents were disqualified to be elected, appointed or nominated to hold any public office for two decades. Despite her conviction, plea bargain and disqualification, Farooqui was appointed chief minister’s adviser, enjoying not only perks and privileges of a public servant, but also an extraordinary political clout.

Besides being illegal on constitutional grounds, the decision to award a Senate ticket to Farooqui could further irk the civil society and Sindhi nationalists who are already irritated on the presence of non-Sindhi senators, inlcuding Shaukat Tareen, Rehman Malik, Farooq Hameed Naik, Dr Aasim and Faisal Raza Abidi, on the votes of Sindhi members of the provincial assembly.
This could be another bone of contention among the PPP’s own ranks, especially in interior Sindh which is the original power base of the party.

On the condition of anonymity, an MPA said, “The PPP is aiming for at least eight Senate seats in Sindh, but this could create problems for the party leadership because voters are questioning the merit of the senators already elected on the votes of the MPAs.”

ISLAMBAD – Despite repeated reminders, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Deedar Hussain Shah has not submitted comments to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the alleged disqualification of Sharmila Farooqi, adviser to the Sindh chief minister.
A well-placed source said for the past four months, the NAB chairman had “turned a deaf ear” to the SC order to submit comments on Sharmila’s disqualification decided in a plea-bargain case on April 28, 2001. The source alleged that NAB chief was using delaying tactics only to protect Sharmila. The Supreme Court directed the NAB chairman to submit comments regarding Sharmila’s disqualification within two weeks after hearing a human rights petition filed by one Aslam Siddiqui.
However, the NAB chairman failed to comply with SC orders. On October 12, 2010, SC’s Human Rights Cell director again issued a reminder, which the Deedar again failed to comply with. The director finally put the NAB chairman on notice to comply with court orders on or before January, 2011. Documents reveal that on April 12, 2000, Accountability Court No IV Karachi convicted Sharmila and her mother Anisa Farooqi and father Usman Farooqui on corruption charges.
They were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment each. Later, the convicts filed an appeal before the Sindh High Court, which remanded their case for a re-trial on technical grounds. During the course of the re-trial, the convicts entered a plea bargain with NAB in order to avoid further conviction. Their plea-bargaining was accepted by the then chairman NAB and later approved by the Accountability Court No IV Karachi.
The accountability court in its judgment on April 28, 2001, declared Sharmila Farooqui, Anisa and Usman disqualified to be elected, appointed or nominated to hold any public office for 21 years. Notwithstanding her conviction, plea-bargaining and disqualification, Sharmila was appointed adviser to the Sindh chief minister, to enjoy not only perks and privileges of a public servant but also an extraordinary political clout.